Whatchamacallit: Fear?

          Never are the thoughts put at bay right at phase1 of sleep. Never are the firing neurons slowed down or altered by any form of psychoactive drug. It's simply that the mind, a term used to refer to the unfathomed aspect of the brain, is dynamic enough to reprocess and reconsider every memory and every thought.
          Too many are the worries discussing purpose whether from a scientific, economic or a spiritual ocular.  Too many are the questions tackled with the most abstract epiphanies. Too many regrets. Too many expectations. Too many worries. Too many milestones. Simply, too many.
          What I fear, as my eyelids reel at the fence of consciousness and alteration, is not failure, but rather the ambiguity- uncertainty. Not knowing. I don't know the limits of my capabilities, I don't know what I'm having for lunch in 3 days from now and no I can't foretell the changes ahead. I'm afraid of possibilities and factual fluctuations. Perception itself is deceptive in its relativity. Our interpretations vary from one another and the tentative possibilities we build on are of relative approval by our cynical minds to what is identified as true. How confusing is that?! How can I address tomorrow while today is indefinite? I don't want to thrive in the discussion of existence but just don't lose me here.
          I'm afraid. I'm afraid that I'm falling short at every pitch. I am almost always one step behind. I'm afraid that Lebanon thrives on prostitution more than industry and agriculture. I'm afraid that we get by the day holding on to the idea that tomorrow might not be. We adhere to pleasure and politics. We talk too much and do too little. I'm afraid that if deforestation continues at its slippery rate, we might as well replace the cedar on our flag with a a major club logo. I'm afraid that Lebanon is still draining out of fresh water and IQ's. We laugh at our pain. Whether we are aware of it or not, it's all about porn and politics. And ironically, porn is often run by politicians who brag about slicing what's left of our pumping sweat and blood among themselves. The only difference is that porn stars often "cum" at least once during a dirty movie while politicians don't bother to come to the parliament at all. I'm afraid that we are stupid enough to repeat the same mistake every 4 years. I'm afraid it's not a mistake anymore. I'm afraid that we have accepted apoptosis, and we just drug ourselves by the most mundane of table talks waiting for the curtains to fall shut and the scene to end. I'm afraid that we have "grown" to lie eloquently and accept it, embrace it.
          I'm afraid that I go to bed every night worrying about being unable to continue pursuing my studies just because I won't be able to afford it. How can I and my dad gets more paper bills than paper money? I'm afraid that our education system is neither educational nor a system. I'm afraid that we have aborted the right to choose when we accepted redundancy and contentment. I'm afraid that we are afraid of civil marriage more than civil war. I'm afraid that most of us can never recite the Arabic alphabet. I'm afraid to admit that the Lebanese national anthem is a stolen template! Yes. Kidnapped from a 20th century Moroccan psalm. I'm afraid that the fact that the current, probably always will be, Lebanese prime minister Nabih Berre makes it hard for me to remember the ones preceding him. I'm afraid that we have lost the right to choose when we lost the will to do so.
          Fear is a basic motive that provokes self-preservation and motivation (a definition to be quoted in our case). Fear is a stimulus to be ennobled to a safer better stance. Our deepest fear is not that we are not good enough, but the fact that we are not aware that we are not good enough. Our deepest fear is not that we are ignorant, but we are delusional of not being so. So, are we really afraid? Or have we developed a new emotion, that which is unknown to human nature? Which is not human?

Technological Apparition

Too many are the tales concerning the twilight bewitchments; dramatic, romantic, and even comic. Some of which, in which the character vanishes at dawn on a broken wooden broom and appears later staggering, tarnished by the chronological voyage, are quite true in real life, identical to the quotidian life of a twenty first century reporter.

  Savored by a rich scoop and pampered by the high view rates, man in the box pops up at every house. It is quite definite that they are obedient, or so it seems, to a missionary stance that not only highlights  the series of our everyday lives but direct the subjects towards a better control of the ongoing events. Power is evident by the growing capability to foretell upcoming incidents and, even more, controlling them.

Social media, also known as the modern school of teleportation and informatory sorcery, is now the technological crystal ball empowering citizens to participate in democratic dialogue on constructive reform. One of the greatest human abilities is that to speak. One of the greatest human evolutionary traits is to talk. But what is the difference between the both? Simply, speaking involves the verbal pronunciation of words and sentences. When those words adopt their projected aspect, they become a talk; a word with a purpose.

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other search engines and media giants have taken the toll to provide the opportunity for everyone to be heard. After the voice of wealthy investors and political poles have altered people’s to represent theirs for often personal pursuits, it’s the people’s time to speak. With the snowballing effect of globalization and diversity, difference in opinion is a must due to the heterogeneous constituents of the upgraded society. Every idea has a platform. Opposing viewpoints are welcomed not only because local and international organizations are continuously emphasizing the importance of the contribution in political decision-making, but also because of the fuss a fervent live discussion can cause. This role was demonstrated in the coverage of the genesis of the “Arab spring” in the projection of the opposing viewpoints in contest.

Social media has also intensified the power of number. High numbers indicate collaboration, priority and significance. In March 2010, one of the worst lead poisonings was discovered in Zamfara, Nigeria. By 2012, all the villages have been cleaned up except one – Bagega. The government promised $5million in May 2012, but that was the last we heard about government ending the social plague until a non-profit group, Follow The Money, launched the #SaveBagega campaign to advocate aid for Bagega. Thousands of other citizens who occupied Twitter for several weeks demanded remediation, medical treatment and safer mining practices. They positively engaged stakeholders and organizations interested in children and human rights.With thousands of people from about 78 countries signing the petition, about 600,000 on twitter that mentioned the hashtag – #SaveBagega in the last couple of months, actions count and can always save the world we live in. The President then released $3million for the remediation that was completed by July.

Before social media came around, leaders confined to a political set were distant from those who got them to their positions. Only a few of the voters marching along the corridors of power were able to send their feedback to elected representatives. Now, on the other hand, there exists a wider range of exposure between the head and the base of the pyramid, say, on Twitter. People can tweet ranting about closed roads and bugs related to insurance policies. Surprisingly, they sometimes get direct responses promising solutions. By thus, the gap between the leaders and the citizens is closed.

Construction can never be fully potent without the elimination of corruption, especially governmental extortion. With the stench of institutional bribery taking advantage of the absence of sensory monitors, media rises as a fourth power to repair abnormal mitosis of solicit cells. A tape exposing policemen taking bribes, documentations leaked to illegally finalize agreements and parliament sessions trying to deviously twist constitutional provisions are tackled by social media and publicly prosecuted.

The once juggling myths of predictions and voodoo act in controlling other’s behaviors has been made possible by the birth of social media. As a result of the social, technological and, dare I say it, ideological evolution, we are able now more than ever to censor and mold tomorrow the way it best fits our prospective social standards and achievements. You can choose to go pro or against the mainstream, but choosing not to choose is not an option.